Born in 1912, Harry Morrison became convinced of the case for socialism as a young man, having been influenced by an older brother who had heard the case for socialism in Toronto, Ontario. Morrison first visited Boston around 1937 but soon traveled west to California.

The World Socialist Party of the United States condemns the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. We offer our condolences to those who lost family or friends in these attacks. We do not believe that violence is an effective or acceptable means for social change, or change of any kind. We condemn all acts of violence, regardless of who carries them out.

As much as we disavow the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, we also denounce the military strikes against Afghanistan, and any other attacks that follow. No capitalist war is worth the shedding of a single drop of blood, on either side.

In view of the explanations and reasons offered by the spokesmen of the Capitalist class, as to the cause of the war in which the United States is now engaged, and in view of the many statements of pseudo-Socialists and others, misrepresenting the Socialist position, thus spreading confusion in the minds of the workers in general and particularly in the minds of those Workers who are interested in Socialism we deem it necessary, at this time, to restate the correct working class position.

Cause of the War

The underlying cause of the present war, involving the principal capitalist nations of the world, was the competition amoDig the capitalist groups of those nations for the opportunity of industrial expansion. Industrial expansion is a necessity which presses with an ever-increasing intensity on all industrially developed nations. This is occasioned by the fact that home markets are insufficient. The industries of these nations are able to produce much more than the home market will consume, owing to the specialization of labor and the development of machinery. On the other hand, the purchasing power of the great mass of the people, the working class, is limited by the amount of their wages. Competition among the workers for employment keeps their wages at a point which, on the average, allows them to buy back only enough of the wealth they have produced, to sustain themselves. Therefore, all the wealth produced, over and above the amount necessary for the maintenance of the workers, is thrown upon the market, to be consumed, either by the capitalists themselves, or sold in a new market. As the capitalist class cannot consume all this surplus wealth, they are obliged to look about for a place to dispose of it, otherwise a panic ensues. Thus, the glutting of the horne market makes it necessary to find new territory to develop, where this surplus wealth can be disposed of. The inevitable result is a struggle between nations, representing various groups of capitalists, for the territory necessary to the carrying out of their plans. Whether that territory consists of colonies, undeveloped countries, seaboard territory, or territory possessing rich natural resources, the final object is the same. And whether the struggle is for concessions with the governments of undeveloped countries, or for the freedom of the seas, or other trade privileges, the object is again the same. This object can be summed up as: Disposal of surplus wealth. Back of this condition of surplus wealth lies its cause - overproduction.